Good miniature version of Sam Tarly from Game of Thrones??

[Brummie]

As the title suggests i'm looking for a miniature (28mm ofc) that would fit well with being a Sam Tarly (the 'Craven' Nights Watch fella in GoT). I'm finding it quite difficult to find someone who fits his 'description' since its quite clear that 'big' blokes who aren't especially sword wieldingly awesome are a rare thing in the fantasy genre, especially in miniature.

I've looked at wizards from Reaper etc but have thus had very little luck finding any that don't have a beard cascading down their entire body or aren't as thin as a stick.

Thus does anyone know of any figure that may be of some use??

[Mr Brown]

By 28mm I assume you don't want to look at the DarkSword sculpts. They are a bit big but given that they are 'the' Song of Ice and Fire minis worth a look. The Tarly miniature is based after he uses the dragonglass dagger but easy conversion.

I've been tempted for a while but waiting on their promised generic figs to flesh out some small skirmish bands.

[Brummie]

I have looked at the Darksword sculpts, but yes I am looking for alternatives, Darksword seem a bit 'thin' to me, so I wondered if there would be some alternatives to those figures before I made any.

[generulpoleaxe]

I have looked at the Darksword sculpts, but yes I am looking for alternatives, Darksword seem a bit 'thin' to me, so I wondered if there would be some alternatives to those figures before I made any.

Realistic proportions mate, cracking sculpts to paint. For alternatives with more of the "heroic" proportions you are probably going to need to look at ranges such as foundry.

[Brummie]

Realistic proportions mate, cracking sculpts to paint. For alternatives with more of the "heroic" proportions you are probably going to need to look at ranges such as foundry.

If they are more proportionate I'd probably buy them, but they do -look- thin on the site, however if they are the way you say they are i'd be more inclined into purchasing a few. As a bonus at least Sam Tarly doesn't have those strange kite shields. Not very fond of the shield design.

What would you compare them too though?? Would they fit with say Perries Medieval stuff?

[jthomlin]

If they are more proportionate I'd probably buy them, but they do -look- thin on the site, however if they are the way you say they are i'd be more inclined into purchasing a few. As a bonus at least Sam Tarly doesn't have those strange kite shields. Not very fond of the shield design.

What would you compare them too though?? Would they fit with say Perries Medieval stuff?

They aren't thin compared to the real thing, we have sadly just got so used to 'chunky' wargame figure proportions that when we see correct proportions they seem odd. Here is a comparison of Dark Sword, Real Life and a Perry Crusades spearman:



As you can see, the Dark Sword compares well and the Perry is the 'odd' one out, the head and hands are significantly larger and the detail is coarse. It's interesting that when you shrink the Perry figure pic so that the head and hands are roughly the same size as the other ones he ends up proportionately about four foot six!



Cheers!
Joe Thomlinson

[FramFramson]

Extreme scale tends to distort things because of our field of view, normal expectations, etc. That's why a lot of historical sculptures have little corrections built in (like the oversize hands and head on Michelangelo's David) to make things look "right". It's also why minis sometimes have a slightly altered scale and why to some folks Dark Sword minis look "wrong" even though they're actually closer to true proportion than most minis.

My biggest problem with Dark Sword is not so much the proportions, but the stiff poses that make all the figures seem not like fantasy characters but awkward cosplayers at a convention or LARP. Like literal photos of real people miniaturized. Uncomfortable people.

[maxxev]

Extreme scale tends to distort things because of our field of view, normal expectations, etc. That's why a lot of historical sculptures have little corrections built in (like the oversize hands and head on Michelangelo's David) to make things look "right". It's also why minis sometimes have a slightly altered scale and why to some folks Dark Sword minis look "wrong" even though they're actually closer to true proportion than most minis.

My biggest problem with Dark Sword is not so much the proportions, but the stiff poses that make all the figures seem not like fantasy characters but awkward cosplayers at a convention or LARP. Like literal photos of real people miniaturized. Uncomfortable people.

I think it has more to do with the limitations of the scuptors and the fact that people ahve such huge ranges now that if they tried to fix it, they'd have to re-sculpt everything.

Dark sword arn't the only company out there producing "proper" scale minis and there are certainly others that can get at least get the hand and head sizes right .

On the other toic I think the minis are more for painters than for gamers, hence the poses.

[robh]

I think it has more to do with the limitations of the scuptors and the fact that people ahve such huge ranges now that if they tried to fix it, they'd have to re-sculpt everything.

Lack of ability may well contribute with some sculptors but the prime cause is that people buy the horrible things. If gamers stopped buying badly proportioned, pudgy figures I think you would find manufacturers only to eager to switch.
Rob